The Developments, Policies and Assessments of Hydropower in the Ganga River Basin

This article reviews the practices, policies and assessments of hydropower facilities in the upper Ganga basin and explores the main developments in hydropower infrastructure with the accompanying land use changes over the past several decades. It introduces the policy framework and also includes a review of the main social and political movements for and against hydropower developments. It concludes with suggestions for alternative ways to measure energy and externalities that give importance to other water priorities and uses in the basin.